The Dancing Shade
by ZDrive
Summary: Esther and Bella are best friends, inseparable and down to earth. But when they are sucked into the world of Magi, caused by a rip in time Aladdin accidently created by going into his first dungeon, things turn deadly, especially when Esther is pulled under Judal's wing as another pawn. Thing is, she was never the type to let injustice go free. Especially with lives on the line.
1. Chapter 1

**The Dancing Shade**

**Summary: Esther and Bella are best friends, inseparable and down to earth. But when they are sucked into the world of Magi, caused by a rip in time Aladdin accidently created by going into his first dungeon, things turn deadly. Especially when Esther is pulled under Judal's wing as another pawn.**

**Rated T (except for one M chapter, I will warn you)**

**Pairings: *Judal/OC, Hakuryuu/OC (hints of Sinbad/OC)**

**Genres: Mystery, Adventure, Friendship, Romance (but taking it slow, it will build up though)**

**Note: First attempt at Magi Fanfiction. I haven't read or seen all of Magi, but I will do my best to follow the plot for so far, and may change some of the plot a bit, but hey, it's fanfiction. Also, for important plot points during the times I DO stay with the Magi plot, I swear I will not let my main OC, Esther, get so involved she replaces the main characters and messes everything up.**

**Swaggin' Out,**

**Z**

…

**Chapter 1: Two Beginnings, One Adventure**

…

"Now, don't forget your extra blankets- Lord knows how cold those dorms can get- oh, and your favorite books-!"

Esther Ruthsun tilted her head, chewing her lip, as she wondered whether to be amused or exasperated. Her father chose the latter, what with his eyes rolling behind his glasses as he scratched the greying stubble on his face. Her older sister, Lois, shook her delicate blonde head at their mother as the woman fretted.

Lois and Esther's younger brother, Bobby, yawned. "It's not like she's going away forever, ma," he mumbled, sinking deeper into the car seat. Like Lois, he adopted the Bambi blue eyes, and fair blonde hair their mother Kate had. The woman still looked to be in her twenties, even though she was in her late forties now. Their father, David, however, looked to be about his natural age at fifty one.

"Darling, she's eighteen, for Pete's sake," Esther's father groaned, slumping in his seat as well as he looked moodily out the window. "She can take good care of herself. After all, you _did _hold her back in first grade."

Ah, there was the accusation in her father's tone, Esther approved. She had had to do first grade all over again…and with Ms. Crumley as the teacher- the _bane_ of her very existence-

Well, next to middle school. _ Oh _God,_ the drama_.

But before Esther could go off into a world of nostalgic disgust, Lois grasped her upper arms and smiled warmly. "Don't worry, pumpkin head," she whispered, pulling her close in a hug. "College is a bit overwhelming at first- trust me, it was intimidating when I first went too- but it gets better. Really. And you meet so many new people-!" Excitement lit in her older sister's voice, as if she wanted to go back to those four golden years with Esther.

But Esther wasn't a social butterfly like the rest of her family. Only her father ever understood that, since she took after him. With her dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, and plain looks, some people believed she had been adopted into the Ruthsun family. She stopped taking offence years ago, when she realized her mother and sister's sunny dispositions could outshine the sun. Bobby, though several years younger than her and now in the sixth grade, was rather quiet. Half the time antisocial and the other half scathingly sarcastic, it was a wonder people still flocked to him like moths to a lantern.

So Esther bore with it and offered her the sunnier people of her family an awkward smile as she stepped back, shouldering her messenger bag packed with books and her large suitcase in the other hand. "I'm fine, really," she said, but was sure she was unconvincing, considering the looks f concern on her mother and sister's faces (her father frowned, and Bobby…well, Bobby just looked bored. Esther sometimes wondered if he was going to be diagnosed as a sociopath). She was never a good actress in the first place. "Besides. I have Bella with me."

Bella Laurel. Shoulder length, straight, light brown hair, soft, sky blue eyes, and the voice of an angel. She was shy and simple, but warm and tender to even the most unfriendly people. Esther was happy she was coming to the same college as her, and grateful that she still had her best friend nearby.

"Okay, I'm going now," Esther said, backing up.

"Good riddance," Bobby scoffed, sticking his tongue out childishly. Esther retaliated and got a disapproving look from Lois.

"WAIT!" Esther's mother threw herself forward and clutched her middle child face first into her bosom. "Are you sure you want to do this?" She began stroking her suffocating daughter's head and she stared worriedly at the air. "We could always wait another year or two-"

"For God's sake, Kate," her husband groaned, dragging his hand down his face. "Esther is a big girl, you know that! You've been bragging for years to our neighbors that she's smart and mature for her age. Let her act like it without you breathing down her neck."

The blonde haired woman pouted and Esther pulled back from her mother to take a deep breath of precious oxygen. "Those neighbors are nosy no-good for nothing-s! Honestly, I go out one time in my robe to get the paper and they act is if I'm going nude for the whole world to see!" She would have gone further to rant had not Esther spotted Bella walking to the front office to check in.

Esther smothered a relived sob and wrestled away from her clingy mother, much to her protests. "Okay, I've got to go, love you all. _Yes_, I'll call you tonight," she added when her mother opened her mouth.

Looking only slightly relieved, her mother kissed her cheeks again and walked back to the car. Lois was already inside with a bored Bobby and Esther had to smile as her father saluted lazily to her, but not without a warm smile on his face. Esther returned it gladly, and began to turn away.

Unfortunately, her mother forced her father to drive at a crawl beside her as she yelled for the whole damn campus to hear- "Don't forget to brush-!"

"My teeth, I _know_," Esther all but whined.

"And your laund-"

"Laundry, got it."

"And do safe sex-"

"MOM!" Esther was mortified. She heard her father bickering with her mother as they finally, _finally, _drove away. She could have wept for joy.

She turned, freezing mid sigh when she saw several other college students staring at her strangely. Just her luck- she's been dubbed as the girl with the _weirdest _family.

Smiling weakly, Esther began to edge away. "Haha, _moms_, right?" She giggled nervously.

…_stare…_

_Okay, fine! BE that way. Jeez, trying to make me look like some idiot- _Esther's thought process derailed when she nearly tripped over the curb. "Oh."

Well.

Esther ducked her hair, dark brown hair spilling down to shield her burning ears and cheeks as she marched stiffly to the office. Once inside, she looked around and saw a long line of students, waiting for their room keys and schedules. Bella was near the front, dressed simply in her pretty white blouse, jean jacket, and knee length pink skirt. She glanced up, met Esther's eyes, and beamed.

"Don't worry," she said sweetly, waving. "I'll get your key and schedule. We had to wait in a another line before this one to find out who our roommates are, and since we requested each other, it's fine."

Esther let out a breath and smiled, pushing back her long hair. "Thanks, Bell," she said.

Bella nodded in acknowledgement and Esther went to a nearby bench, settling down and cracking open her music book. She wasn't studying music specifically, but she liked singing well enough that she could read the music. It was more of a hobby than anything else, and her major was in mechanical engineering. Her messenger bag, a nice, simple brown bag, carried her music book, journal, engineering history book, the Arabian Nights series, and camera. She never left the house without them, and even if many people found it ridiculous, she found herself not caring. It was better this way. She didn't have to spend her time worrying about what other people thought about her, when she was already happy with herself.

She got so absorbed in mumbling the notes to herself she almost didn't see a handsome college male, with tousled dark hair and glittering green eyes, settle next to her and look over her shoulder.

"Hi," he said, grinning. Esther looked up and he held out his hand for her to shake. "My name's Drake, and I'm a junior this year. You're a…freshman, right?"

Esther nodded and set the book in her lap, reaching out to shake his hand. "Yeah. My name is Esther. I know," she rolled her eyes when Drake opened his mouth to comment "she was the graceful, yet fearless Jewish queen who stopped the slaughter of the Jews by putting her life on the line. Yeah, I get that a lot."

Drake looked a little confused, and then a little sheepish. "_Nah_, actually," he scratched the back of his neck. "I was just going to say that it was a pretty unique name, but…I guess that works too."

Esther's face burned and she stammered. "O-oh! Sorry, it sounded like I was bragging, and I usually get a lot of comments on the biblical reference to my name and-" she choked, mortified and red. "-I'm so sorry! I'm not bragging, I promise!"

Drake laughed, shrugging as he smiled at her. "Hey, it's okay, I understand."

"Really?" Esther squeaked. God, she was so embarrassed.

"Yeah, like, for cereal," he stopped and blushed himself. "Wait, ah- sorry, that was-"

"-eighties slang, right?" Esther finished for him, softening ads he face cooled.

"Well…yeah." Drake brightened. "That's so cool you know it! I mean, I've never really met anyone who knew it, and I constantly embarrass myself by blurting it out and no one really gets it. Then it gets-"

"-awkward." Esther laughed.

Drake's smile was slow to come, but warm with realization. "…yeah," he mumbled. "Guess you understand me, huh?"

"It's just happened to me before, that's all," Esther explained. She glanced at the line and smiled when she saw Bella coming with their room keys and schedules in hand. "Sorry, but I've got to go." Esther felt disappointed and apologetic as she stood, gesturing to her friend. "My roommate has our stuff and we need to get packed before heading to the welcoming committee at the theatre. See you around?"

"Uh, sure," he said, rising as well. "Maybe, you know, we could go out for lunch tomorrow, get acquainted and talk about…classes."

Esther froze, and forced a smile on her face. "Ah. Actually, Drake, I was going to spend time with some of the teachers to look into extra credit. Sorry."

_No time for a relationship._

Drake sagged a little. "Oh. Okay. Maybe next time then."

"Sure, okay." Esther kept her smile in place as he walked away. The moment the junior was out of sight, she slipped her thin music book into her bag and turned to Bella, who raised her thin eyebrows.

"What?" Esther demanded, defensively.

"Oh, nothing." Bella feigned innocence as they walked together out the door and towards their dorms. "I just thought you weren't looking for a relationship during college. _Especially_ in freshman year."

"I'm _not,"_ Esther insisted. "I need to focus on my studies. Not everyone has it easy going like you art students." She sniffed, and Bella frowned at her.

"Music is a very hard major, and you can't take any minors, it's so difficult," she defended.

"You aren't taking music. You're taking culinary arts."

"The artistic touch is hard," Bella said. "Besides…you couldn't draw if your life depended on it, especially if it's with frosting and shaping the cake."

"I can draw stick figures," Esther denied weakly, but Bella laughed and shook her head.

"Good girl," she cooed. "I'm so proud of you."

Esther pouted and looked away pointedly. Bella was so sweet and kind, but her shyness had begun to slowly slip away, now that her confidence had gotten a boost. Apparently, she started these positive changes since hanging out with the ever so clumsy Esther Ruthsun, including gaining a bit of a sharp tongue from said friend. Esther pouted a bit more. She was happy her friend was getting more confident, but did it have to be at her expense?

Apparently so.

When they reached the dorm, Bella fished out her key and unlocked the door. To be honest, it was small, and kind of crappy, and the bathroom light fixture had that watery yellow glow to it that was in scary movies, but it was home for the rest of the school year.

Esther tossed a grin over her shoulder as she threw her bag on the cot by the window. "I called the window bed," she teased in sing song, and Bella smiled, amused as she sat on the second cot.

"Fine, but then I take the first shower tonight," she said.

Esther shrugged, setting down her suitcase. "Suit yourself," she murmured. She began to unpack, but when she saw the family photo taped to the bottom of the suitcase opening, she couldn't help but sigh.

They took this photo last year, in a failed attempt at a perfect family picnic. It was anything but perfect. Her dad got chased by a bee, her mother was (viciously and unprovoked, her mother had claimed shrilly)attacked by a black bird, Bobby scraped his knee, Esther herself fell into the mud in her new Sunday dress and Lois…well, Lois (being a successful model now, so this is no surprise) got to meet some cute boys and was as blinding as the sun that day. So they took a picture, with her mother's short hair in a disarray, her father's swollen thumb bandaged with toilet paper, Bobby's knees wrapped the same way, Esther covered in mud, and Lois looking as gorgeous as ever with her long, wavy gold hair.

The picture that used to annoy her now filled her chest with bubbling warmth.

She blinked, spotting a small note slipped behind the photo and she unfurled it, reading her brother's barely illegible chicken scratch, _Hey there, awkward. This is just a family photo of us so you never forget how much we annoyed you. Yes, it brings be pleasure to know that I'm still driving you crazy even when I'm not there. And no, don't be stupid, of course I don't care you're gone! Are you crazy? Weirdo. See you at Thanksgiving dinner. If you don't come, mom will probably cry, and you know me. I don't deal well with crying women. Have fun, you awkward chicken, you._

Esther bit her lip, fighting back a laugh and shut her suitcase. Sociopath he may be, but she was still his big sister.

Bella was already checking her watch, a clear sign they were going to be late if they waited any longer. Esther nodded to herself and stood, grabbing her messenger back. Outside, the wind had picked up, and the sun was slowly hidden away by clouds rolling in.

Bella frowned and looked at the ceiling when thunder boomed in the distance. "Strange," she muttered, picking up her purse and walking with Esther to the door. "I didn't think there would be even a cloud in the sky today."

"Weather men aren't always right, Bella," Esther said opening the door and stepping out.

But Bella was still worried. "Maybe I should bring an umbrella…?"

Esther groaned and hung her head backwards. "Ugh_, Bella_. We have to go, or we're going to be late!"

"Okay, okay," Bella rushed out and soon the girls were outside the dorms.

Both squealed when a sudden shower of rain pummeled down, and they booked it. "Shit," Esther cursed. She held her precious bag closer to her chest. "Maybe we should have gotten the umbrella."

"Um," Bella murmured shyly, looking to the right and then the left, then back again. "Is the theatre this way…or _this_ way?"

"I," Esther hesitated. "Don't know."

Bella groaned and Esther shook her head, shoulder blade length dark locks flinging water uselessly away, soaked and streaming down her back. She cursed again when she realized she was only wearing a light green blouse and jeans, allowing her top half to be see through if wet.

_Well, _Esther thought to herself, standing on her toes. _At least I wore my sexy lady duo._

"If it's near the office, it's probably to the left." Bella looked back at Esther, and paused, blue eyes dropping to her chest. Said eyes widened.

"Oh my," she said softly, the tips of her fingers touching her bottom lip lightly. "So you wore the white lace."

"BELLA!" Esther shrieked, scandalized as she crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to protect herself from prying eyes.

Bella shrugged, looking slightly startled. "I just thought you were more of the plain Jane type, not-"

"Don't try to tell me what my type is," Esther interrupted flatly.

Bella looked sympathetic, but not apologetic. "Do you want my sweater?" She offered.

Esther sighed, still a bit peeved, but not enough to snap at Bella. "No, keep it," she said tiredly. Above the two girls' heads, the dark clouds brewed. A rumbled of thunder shook the air, then in less than a second, a hair raising tingle warned of the impending l-"If we can just find the th-"

The lightning struck. The world seemed to hiccup, time warped for a moment and-

The girls were gone, without a trace.

…

…

…

**_A thousand years before…_**

Judal looked down at the crumbling dungeon, slightly disappointed.

"Eh," he murmured, twirling his scepter through boney fingers. "They didn't die? Shame."

"We must return," the masked man beside him said quietly, and Judal smirked, the carpet rising from where it had been previously positioned, hovering over the dungeon.

"To Kou, then" Judal said. They flew away, and Judal plopped gracefully down to lay on his back, staring impassively at the sky.

_Change is coming. With change brings new players, new hearts, new dreams…_

…_to crush._

…

…

…

**AN: Nothing the characters will say will be what they said in the episodes, or manga, unless they are very important scenes. I hope you liked it so far and are willing to give this Judal/OC story a chance. I know a lot of people hate Mary Sues- I'm one of the especially wary ones as well- but give this one a chance, yes? Please and thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Dancing Shade**

**Summary: Esther and Bella are best friends, inseparable and down to earth. But when they are sucked into the world of Magi, caused by a rip in time Aladdin accidently created by going into his first dungeon, things turn deadly. Especially when Esther is pulled under Judal's wing as another pawn.**

**Rated T (except for one M chapter, I will warn you)**

**Pairings: *Judal/OC, Hakuryuu/OC (hints of Sinbad/OC), and some Kougyoku/OC**

**Genres: Mystery, Adventure, Friendship, Romance (but taking it slow, it will build up though)**

**Note: First attempt at Magi Fanfiction. I haven't read or seen all of Magi, but I will do my best to follow the plot for so far, and may change some of the plot a bit, but hey, it's fanfiction. Also, for important plot points during the times I DO stay with the Magi plot, I swear I will not let my main OC, Esther, get so involved she replaces the main characters and messes everything up.**

**Swaggin' Out,**

**Z**

…

**Chapter 2: Judal**

**_Me no own Magi_**

**_…_**

Esther hadn't even known she had been unconscious until she was being shaken awake by a freaked out Bella.

"Esther," Bella whimpered, shaking her gently by the shoulder. She was biting her bottom lip, tears welling up in her eyes and clinging to her lashes. "Esther, _wake up._"

"Hm? Wazz'it?" Esther mumbled, squinting at her shaken friend.

"Oh," Bella breathed. Her body trembled. "Oh, thank God." Her voice broke at the end and she bowed her head, hands clenching her skirt as tears dripped on the back of her hand.

"Bella," Esther blinked and sat up, looking around. They were in a square shaped house made of what looked like clay, like one of those houses you see in old stories of the ancient empires. Sunlight streamed in through the small windows, covered by thin scraps of colored cloth, and the two girls were surrounded by huge clay vases and hand woven baskets. The sound of a bustling crowd, laughing and yelling and talking in a different language as the sound of wheels rolled down a road and people bargained for food and items seeped in with the light. The smell of unknown foods and spices perfumed the air. Esther licked her chapped lips, ignoring the nasty taste in her mouth.

"Where are we," she asked.

Bella shook her head, white around her pursed lips and wide eyes. "I have no clue," she whispered. She curled in on herself, hugging her knees. "All I remember is us going to the hall for the meeting, rain started, and getting-" she swallowed. "-getting hit, I could have sworn…_by lightning."_

Esther felt like she was having one of those dazed, out of body moments. She idly wondered if this was what shock felt like, when you can't even feel your fingers and toes. She barely managed to get her clumsy tongue under control. "And…then what?"

"I don't know," Bella said. She shrugged helplessly and wiped at her eyes. "Suddenly, I wake up to this place, and you were passed out beside me. I've been trying to wake you up for a long time now and I thought, I thought-" she choked up and sobbed, thick, wet tears slipping freely down her face.

Esther couldn't move, as she stared blankly at her crying friend. They were hit by lightning…and they ended up here. In a place where people spoke in a different language, a place where there was hand crafted items and houses made of freaking _clay_, a place where…

Esther froze for a moment, eyes huge, before bouncing to her feet and racing over to the empty window. She peered between a thin gap in the makeshift curtains and could only stare, lips parted slightly as she watched people in tunics and cloaks and ankle length robes and dresses walked about, speaking in an alien tongue. The gentle mother's held their children's' hands and the proud fathers let their boys' pick their own knives for the first time. Young girls roamed the stands filled with jewelry as the boys went off in helping the family buy food and clothes.

Esther took a step backward, horrified.

She recognized this place now, remembered the way the tongue curled around the letters of the language. This was Arabia. Her dark eyes darted to her messenger bag, slumped in a corner. The top of the book, The Arabian Nights, peeked out innocently. The sudden urge to burn it sizzled inside her stomach.

And that's when the hysteria hit.

Looking back on it, Esther couldn't quite remember what she did, but she was later informed by a terrified Bella that she had gone completely, and utterly, _bananas. _

Several bruising pinches, head bangs, and one failed attempt at climbing the house's roof and throwing herself off the building later (a slightly hysterical Bella stopped her), Esther calmed herself and hobbled over to her messenger back, toes aching curiously from her violent kicks at the wall.

"I think I have an idea where we are, and what time, but it sounds crazy and I need to make sure," Esther rasped, shouldering her bag (her throat was sore from all the screaming she did).

Bella whitened. "Wait," she said shakily, "are you leaving me here? _Alone?_" She squeaked.

"No, no, no," Esther assured her, laying a soothing hand on the scared girl's shoulder. "I will come back. Actually, I'll leave this here." She slipped off her bag and let it hit the dirt floor at Bella's feet. "I'll return with more information and some food and, possibly clothing. Okay? I'll be back." Esther forced a smile. "I promise."

Bella hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly and Esther's smile became more genuine.

"Okay," she murmured quietly. "I'll be back. Soon."

Taking a deep breath, she turned away and went towards the rickety wooden door, peeking out to see if the coast was clear enough for her to dart into a nearby ally without being seen. She didn't want attention and to be suspected of something bad. She slipped away and left.

The taste in Esther's mouth was curdling.

…

…

…

He was just. So. _Booooored._

Boredom shouldn't exist, Judal thought firmly to himself, dangling upside down on his bed, staring at the open window. It was absolutely maddening.

The palace was too peaceful today for his liking. Markkio wasn't around, there wasn't an active war for miles, Gyokuen smiles too much and is just as manipulative as himself, which makes him uneasy about the bitch, and he had no idea where Sinbad was at the moment. Outside, he could hear the twitter of birds, the rustle of the trees with the occasional light breeze and…was that-?

Judal perked up when he heard the clash of wooden staffs. Hmm, seemed like the baby of the family was training again. Maybe today Hakuryuu would _finally _agree to be lead through a dungeon, though he doubted it. Kougyoku had been easy, and so had the eldest sister, Hakuei, who had been a bit more serious about it than the little red head. He had to admit, besides Hakuryuu, Kougyoku was his favorite. She can be a bit of a crybaby, but he's never had someone try to be his friend. It was kind of weird and a bit amusing.

The boy would come to him. One day.

The boy had the potential to be a King Vessel. Judal suspected Gyokuen knew this.

A smirk twitched on Judal's lips. Oh, how he would love to see her smile disappear.

Judal flipped off the bed and left the bedroom, trailing idly down the halls and slipping past the guards, a trail of black Rukh following his footsteps with graceful fluttering of their delicate wings.

He entered the courtyard, the blades of grass brushing his ankles as he strode forward. It was a large courtyard, but Hakuryuu was nearby with his sparring partner, staffs clashing as they fought. To be honest, Judal didn't know the prince's sparring partner- didn't _care _to remember. He was just another human. Plain. Normal. _Expendable._

He lifted his hand in greeting. "Aye, Hakuuu~"

Hakuryuu paused and glanced over from the corner of his blind eye. His expression was wary. His sparring partner bowed to them both and backed away to give them privacy. Well. At least Judal knew that his reputation was still ripe with fear here. As it should.

"So," Judal grinned, placing his hands on his hips. "Sparring again, eh?"

Hakuryuu didn't answer. Judal grinned.

"You really should take up my offer to conquer a dungeon," the dark Magi wheedled. "Like your sister."

Hakuryuu frowned, but said nothing. Judal knew the young prince did not trust him, and he couldn't really blame him. He was displeased with Judal's presence, yet also displeased that he had not conquered a dungeon yet.

Judal smiled again, though it was more of a mocking show of bared teeth. "Well, let me know if you finally want to do so. You are the only one so far who hasn't conquered a dungeon, you know?"

He left, pleased with the way Hakuryuu's hands clutched the staff in a white-knuckled grip. It was time to visit the city for now…

One day. One day the boy would have Rukh as _black_ as his.

…

…

…

Esther flipped the faded brown hood of the cloak over her head, trying to ignore the itch of nervousness crawling up her spine. She frowned as a white butterfly-like creature brushed her cheek and flicked it away.

She felt mildly guilty for stealing the cloak, but if she wanted to get some answers, she was going to have to blend in. Doing her best to hide her jeans and blouse, she shuffled into the more secluded corners of the market, occasionally waving in and out of the crowd.

She kept her head down, wincing whenever someone look her way and lingered for too long. It was terrifying and nerve wracking and was about to pee in her pants. She didn't think they even had _toilets _here.

Esther shuddered.

She glanced around. Everyone was speaking the same language, a language she didn't understand, but recognized as Arabic. She doubted the understood English, and even if they did, it was probably the English from this time. An English she was sure she wouldn't be able to understand. Another butterfly landed on her shoulder, and she would have realized its wings had an almost white glow to them, had she not been so distracted by more concerning matters.

Maybe…hand gestures? Yeah. Yeah, she could do that.

She walked to the emptiest booth she could find and leaned over the stall. The smell of hot peppers stung her nose, but it was better than the sun baked donkey manure lying only a few feet away.

"Um…excuse me," she tried, and the owner, a man with a deep tan, large belly, and grizzly black beard, grunted.

"Ah…can you tell me where we are," she said slowly.

The man looked at her and said something in Arabic that sounded seriously rude. Esther tried not to pout.

"Oh, um, okay…" she took a deep breath, and did what all people do when faced with a language block; speaking loud and slow and simple. "ME NO SPEAKY WHAT YOU SPEAKY."

_This is the most embarrassing and obnoxious thing I've ever done._

It didn't seem to get her point across. The booth owner scowled and threw a rotten pepper at her. Esther cursed and batted it away before it could hit her in the eyes, stumbling backwards. For a moment, she forgot she was supposed to keep a low profile. She wiped her hands on her cloak and cursed again, spitting, "Fine, fine. You know what? I didn't need your help anyways, you stupid, ugly-" she was never good with insults- "pepper obsessed fatty! I was just about to leave."

More of those white butterflies circled her head followed her as she stormed away. One attached itself to her mouth and she spit it out, spluttering.

She had never heard of butterflies living in the desert. Well, she thought it was a desert. If she was correct and this was Arabia, then it was definitely a desert. Maybe they were imported along with exotic vegetation?

Whatever the reason, more were gathering, fluttering softly around her face and even sneaking into her cloak, as if they wanted to play. What was even weirder was that no one seemed to notice a damn thing. Was this what happened to all time travelers?!

_Wait._

Esther's eyes rolled up in her head as she contemplated, shoulders drooping and mouth forming a pout. A butterfly landed smack dab in the middle of her forehead, but she paid it no mind. If they were time travelers…wouldn't she and Bella still be in America? Time traveling said nothing about changing locations thousands of miles away. She may not be an expert, but she was pretty sure that wasn't the way it worked.

Then two more butterflies landed, one on each nostril, and she sneezed hard enough to scare even herself.

They fluttered away, as if teasing her.

"Oh, that is it," she growled, and started flailing madly, cursing as they slipped away from her. More butterflies swarmed. Cheeky little-!

People stopped and stared as the girl with pale skin and strange clothing swung her arms in circles, shouting in her choppy language at the air. She began to turn in circles still ducking and snarling as if trying to ward a way a swarm of wasps.

"WAAAAH, WHY WON'T YOU JUST GO AWA-!" She opened her eyes a crack and froze, eyes blowing wide when she realized that yes, she was still in public, and yes, she just acted as if she needed to be sewn shut into a straitjacket and thrown into the nearest asylum.

One man in particular, with- how scandalous! She nearly hid her eyes- only black pants on, shirtless, and a strange gold…choker, thing, stared a bit harder than she was comfortable with.

She blinked at him. He blinked back at her.

Blink. Blink.

…_blink_.

Esther forced a wide, awkward smile on her face and laughed nervously, eyes squinting shut as she waved her hands rapidly, hard enough for her wrists to ache. She began to inch away. "Okaaay…nothing to see here. There was just a- fly! In my eye. It- it happens ALL the time, you know? Damn fruit flies, hehe. All…_annoying_ and buzzing around and trying to lay eggs in your eyeballs and- well…uh-huh. Right. I'm, uh- I'm just going to…" she waved vaguely in a direction. "…go over there now. Yup. Okie dokey."

She bolted.

…

…

…

She could see them. The girl with the strange clothing could _see them._

_Whothefuck- motherfucker!- if she's a magitooI'mgonnastarta**fucking**war, 'cause this is NOT what's supposed tohappen-!_

Judal hadn't been this angry in a long time. He already couldn't stand Aladdin and his stupid cheerfulness and innocence, but this- oh, this was the last straw.

Four Magi he could put up with…but a fifth-?!

Judal inhaled sharply, black Rukh swirling in a thick swarm around his body and-

…_smiled._

He smiled sweetly in the direction the girl fled and pulled out his scepter, calling the guards. The citizens of the Kou Empire fled, terrified.

"Someone's gonna die~" he sang, and laughed.

…

…

…

Esther didn't know who called the guards- or what appeared to be the law enforcement or something, she didn't really _know- _but if she ever survived this whole ordeal, she was going to track down the little tattle-tailing butthead and give him the noogie of a _lifetime._

In no time, she was surrounded in an open space, boxed in by the guards and the buildings. She was scared and disgruntled, but not very surprised. They knew the city, she didn't. She was just a young, poor girl who was dropped kicked into this alien world, and by golly, she wanted out before they ate her brains for ice cream.

The man with the black pants and ridiculously long black braid- how did she _not_ notice that sooner?- strode inside the circle of guards, heading towards her with confidence, like he owned the place.

Esther had a _very_ bad feeling about this.

She lifted her hands in front of her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Look…I don't know you, you don't know me, I'm sorry if I ever offended you- I don't know the equivalent to flipping a finger around here, so I might have done that one accident- but, hey, listen! We can work this out, right guys?" She looked around the circle of stone faced guards with forced cheer. "Maybe we got off on the wrong foot-" She didn't get to finish her babbling, because just when she turned back to the man in black something sharp and cold and_ painful_ sliced clean through her shoulder and forced her back a step.

Hands quivering, she switched her shocked gaze from the man's smug, cheery smile to the freaking icicle _sticking_ out of her _freaking shoulder_.

The color drained from her face for a moment, as she was silent with shock, the pain numb.

In front of her, Judal tilted his head casually and smiled. "You talk too much," he said sweetly, and the sound of his voice snapped Esther out of her appalled daze to lock eyes with him.

Then she caught everyone off guard and flipped out.

"Did you…did you just…did you just fucking puncture my shoulder with an icicle?! What- how-?" She saw red, her face turning the same, blotchy color. "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" She screeched, spit flying. Judal started, staring with unnaturally wide eyes as the girl blew her top.

Esther continued to gape at him, making exaggerated faces of shock. "Who the hell goes around- _stabbing _people with fucking ice? You-" she yelped when she jostled her shoulder, the icicle still clean through the wound, and her eyes bulged as she repeated, "Oh god, oh god, it moved it moved, it feels so weeeeird-!" She flailed for a moment and the guards all stepped back nervously.

Judal stared. "By Allah, calm down-"

Esther didn't listen. "What gives you the right to crush innocent ice cubes down into weapons of mass destruction and start flinging them around like they're fucking dandelions?! Who even _does _that?! Who the FUCK in their right mind DOES THAT-?!"

The she poked him.

_What?_

Judal was so confused. He had never seen someone act this dramatically to being stabbed.

Ev-_er_.

Then she poked him again mid rant and he started feeling kind of offended.

"Well guess what, buddy? No one, that's who! No." Poke. "Fucking." Poke. "_One_." Poke.

Judal's eyes narrowed.

"Do you really think you're God-" she began, then stopped, going cross eyed when a blade of ice shot from the palm of his hand and narrowed to a point straight between her eyes. She swallowed. "Oh, man, well obviously you do. Don't worry, you will totally rock the naked God reaching to a naked Adam picture…got for it, man. Let your dreams come true."

Judal's smile was cruel and wild. He leaned in and whispered in the Arabic tongue, nose inches from her own. "_Freeze."_

Esther's world melted into darkness and ice.

…

…

…

The Emperor's wife sat in his throne, smiling and serene, when Judal came in.

He raised a brow. "Already scheming, Your Highness?" He asked and she smiled, sticky sweet.

"My beloved husband is sick," she said. Gyokuen caressed the golden arm of the throne with a thickly jeweled hand. "I must keep his seat warm for his return."

"How thoughtful," Judal sneered, before turning expectedly to the doors of the throne room. A second later, the guards opened it, and the slaves pushed in a frozen statue of a horrified-looking girl with dark brown hair and matching wide eyes.

Now it was the queen's turn to look interested. "A present?" She mused. "For me?"

Judal bowed low, smirking. "Only the best," he purred. "No one saw her yet…only you."

"How kind." The queen studied the frozen girl. "Her clothes are strange and her skin is pale. Is she a runaway slave?"

"From what I witnessed, she didn't seem to have any idea of where she was. She didn't even speak our language," Judal said, walking to stand beside the statute with crossed arms. "And there was no sign of bruises from chains and cuffs around her wrists or ankles.

"She is no ordinary foreigner." She looked even more interested, "How did she get here? What country does she hail from?"

"You could ask her yourself," said Judal. "It also seems as if she can see the Rukh, yet when I got closer there was no aura of her being a Magi. She didn't even know what the Rukh _were_."

The dark haired woman hummed. "She could be of use to us," she murmured, reclining in the throne. Judal had a nagging feeling she would be there once again in the future. "Wake her," she ordered, and Judal snapped his fingers.

The ice dripped, cracked and then shattered. Frosted black eyelashes fluttered as the girl coughed and sputtered, gasping for breath as she collapsed on the floor. He lazily flicked his wand in a translating spell as she looked around, favoring her sluggishly bleeding shoulder, the ice blade gone, and the ice having numbed it enough, yet Judal was sure it still throbbed to the beat of her heart.

Her eyes flickered around the room, landing on the queen with hints of fear, but when she looked at him, and while there was still much fear, there was also incredulity and- this made him resist the urge to roll his eyes- seemed actually offended.

"Did you just turn me into a popsicle?"

…

…

…

**For those of you who think she's a little too brave, don't worry, she will be quite afraid and yet resentful of both Gyokuen and Judal later, but right now, she's caught in between shock and a little bit of anger 'cause this has been the worst day of her life. She has no idea what's going on, she can't talk to anyone She also doesn't know these people well enough to fear them. But she will. I've also decided to add in three more OC's, but they will come a bit later, and are important for plot development. Aladdin, Alibaba, and Morgianna are still the heroes and main characters of Magi, even though I will focus of Esther and her struggles though the world of Magi. She, nor the other OCs, will be more powerful than the mina characters and such, even if they will eventually get kickass adventures and metal vessels under their belts. I promise. I hope you enjoyed this so far! Favorite, follow, and review! Definitely review!**

**Swaggin' Out,**

**Z**


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